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One of our biggest questions about the EcoBoost engine in the F-150 is whether the EPA numbers will hold up when it comes to real-world driving. We used the truck’s driver information screen to keep a close eye on the fuel economy during the daily commute to the office. When you have one of the trip odometer screens up, one of the other details displayed is average mpg. Because I am so curious about the EcoBoost’s fuel economy, this is the first truck I’ve ever driven with a fuel-economy screen that holds my attention like the display in a Prius.

At first, it seemed like the F-150 wasn’t living up to the EPA’s 15 city/21 highway mpg numbers. On the screen, the average mpg showed numbers in the low 14s around town. Uh-oh. But as time went on, the average miles per gallon improved. I found that during my daily commute to the office, economy was better going there than it was driving home, presumably because I was going downhill a bit on the way there and up the same hill on the way home. When I took a longer trip, though, fuel economy improved beyond my expectations: I saw 21.5 mpg on the “average fuel” gauge, and the fuel economy for that tank was above 18. My commute is almost entirely in traffic, so it’ll take more highway time to get a fairer look at the overall economy. However, I do wonder if the EPA’s drive evaluations include sitting in stop-and-go rush hour traffic with the air-conditioner on, because that’s my real-world daily experience on the way home. I also want to find out how much fuel economy suffers when towing, and that’s something we’ll explore in the near future.

I have another fuel-related question. When we’ve seen data for vehicles powered with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, the specification charts would say that the engine was designed to run on 87 or higher octane fuel. However, “For best overall performance, premium fuel with an octane of 91 or higher is recommended.” What does that mean? Ford didn’t specify a difference in horsepower or torque, so for the duration of this long-term test, we’re going to run the truck on regular unleaded and base its performance on that, both at the track and on the road. So far, the truck has performed flawlessly on 87-octane fuel. It’s very quick off the line, and power delivery is smooth.

2012 Ford F-150 News and Reviews

Lots of interesting things happened between the time the F-150 was named our Truck of the Year and when we had to return our long-term Ford pickup. The EcoBoost engine had the potential to be controversial: Would truck folks buy a twin-turbo V-6 instead of a V-8? Ford wisely offered two V-8 options, but it turned out the automaker had…

When the F-150 was used as the tow vehicle for the Tesla test -- the one where Motor Trend editors drove the Tesla Model S from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas -- we were reminded that at some point soon, the truck should really get a trailer brake controller. Since we weren't towing a heavy load that day,…

The Ford continues to be busy at work. This time around, Testing Director Kim Reynolds went to northern California on two different occasions to move large objects back to Southern California. On the first trip, Reynolds picked up a washing machine, a task that took a bit of work (it was heavy, and he was working alone), but he got…

One of our biggest questions about the EcoBoost engine in the F-150 is whether the EPA numbers will hold up when it comes to real-world driving. We used the truck's driver information screen to keep a close eye on the fuel economy during the daily commute to the office. When you have one of the trip odometer screens up, one…

Motor Trend was getting ready to do a story on the range of the Tesla Model S, but to do this, the car would need to be towed to the starting point of the test. The question: could the guys drive the Model S from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a single charge?And, when it comes to electric cars,…